Flowers

Phacelia californica (California scorpionweed) is a central California native. This herbaceous perennial grows to 1-2 feet tall.  Plant in rock gardens or on a slope with good drainage. The common name is because the flowers unfurling from the stalk look like a scorpion’s tail. Less imaginative explanation: it is similar to ferns. The flowers provide an important nectar source for …

Spikes of deep maroon bells create an intriguing focal point in the spring garden. The tall stems are clothed with gray-green leaves, which are attractive in their own right. The Persian fritillary usually requires a season or two to establish itself. There are about 100 to 130 species of bulbous plants in the family Liliaceae, native to temperate regions of …

Freesia is a fragrant pretty spring corm that naturalizes so it comes back year after year. I plant them at the bases of the fruit trees and in containers to provide some of the first blooms and scents of spring.

We had a very wet February in our Sunnyvale garden. But we still had a lot of flowers: Pea-shrub, orinthogalum, several types of crocus, daffodils, armeria, plum, apricot, flowering plum, viola, cyclamen, english daisy, yarrow, lavendar. On the vegetable side: cilantro, tomatoes, beet, garlic, rhubarb, chile, basil. Lots of spring growth: swartzkopf, mulberry, figs, milkweed, foxglove, caesurium, bleeding-heart, lily-of-the-valley, verbascum, …

Nasturtiums are great flowers for the Sunnyvale garden. They grow in most types of soil and soil moisture. The flowers are colorful and edible and have a peppery taste that can vary in intensity from flower to flower on the same plant. The strongest have a taste and aroma of horseradish. An added benefit is that the nasturtium fixes nitrogen. …

November is the beginning of winter in our Sunnyvale garden. Summer and fall flowers are putting on their last show. The hummingbird loves the red tubular flowers of the Salvia elegans. Daylilies,  yarrow, marigolds, and mums brighten the darkening skies. The hibiscus loves the south-facing wall. Harvested Panache figs, pepino melons, pomegranates, spaghetti squash. Planted garlic, beets, carrots, kale, cabbage, …

During the fall, the garden nurseries are full of mums of all varieties. I plant them in a variety of pots.

This past month I was not doing much in the garden. I was remodeling the kitchen for over a week. Then I was on vacation in the Pacific Northwest for ten days. The drip irrigation mostly worked while I was gone. Marie discovered one morning that a 1/4 inch feeder hose had popped out of the larger 1/2 main line …

This past June was very hectic and I spent little time in the garden. I have the drip irrigation working again in the backyard. Marie is very grateful because I will be on vacation and she does not want to water the 100 plants and trees on that system. I had a leak from behind the hose bib and had …

There was lots of activity in our Sunnyvale garden this past May: Spring flowers were finishing their bloom;. Summer flowers were pumping out new growth and, in some cases, early flowers. The stone fruits- plums, nectarines, and apricots – got larger and starting getting color. The tomato plants range in size from 2 to 4 feet in height. Some are …